


I Think You’ll Understand

by Politzania



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Archery, Awkward Flirting, Clint POV, Flirting, M/M, pining!Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-26 11:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20741843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: Clint might kind of have a thing for his newest teammate, Sergeant Barnes.  But the guy’s got plenty of his own stuff to deal with,  so Clint keeps his distance, at least until Natasha meddles and they end up out on the archery range together.   And stuck in a Hydra base together (but - to be fair - that’s more Bucky’s fault than Natasha’s).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author: Politzania/PoliZ  
Title: I Think You’ll Understand  
WHB Square Filled: B4 - Holding Hands (Chapter 1) & Trapped Together (Chapter 2)  
Day 2 of WinterHawk Week: Holding Hands & Day 3: Trapped Together  
Warnings: none  
Summary: Clint might kind of have a thing for his newest teammate, Sergeant Barnes. But the guy’s got plenty of his own stuff to deal with, so Clint keeps his distance, at least until Natasha meddles and they end up out on the archery range together. And stuck in a Hydra base together (but - to be fair - that’s more Bucky’s fault than Natasha’s).

Everyone knew Tony had a tech boner for Bucky Barnes’ arm — that he wanted nothing more than to take it apart, see what made it tick and then build a better version. In the process, he’d probably make it into the prosthetic equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. But Clint thought Bucky’s arm was just fine the way it was. 

Clint was well aware that he spent an awful lot of time watching how the plates of the arm flexed and shifted with Bucky’s every move; he was irretrievably drawn to the grace and power they represented. Whether Bucky was sparring with Steve or sharpening one of his many, many knives, Clint simply couldn’t keep his eyes to himself. 

It wasn’t just the arm, either. Bucky was a handsome man; Clint could easily believe Steve’s stories of what a charmer he had been, both before and during the war. But since those stories dealt exclusively with Bucky’s effect on the ladies, Clint figured he didn’t have a chance. 

Fortunately, Bucky seemed oblivious to Clint’s attention, focused as he was on his own recovery and slowly regaining his sense of self. Steve had introduced his oldest, best friend to everyone when they’d arrived at the Compound, but he didn’t seek out their company, preferring to spend his time with Steve or at the firing range, where the racket of gunfire made it nearly impossible to interact.

Clint understood; he remembered the days and weeks after the Battle of New York as he faced up to the damage he’d done while under Loki’s thrall. The deaths of good men and women loomed large in his conscience; it was still difficult to accept that he had just been the weapon that the demigod had wielded. 

The revelation that the Winter Soldier had been the instrument of Howard and Maria Stark’s demise was a blow to the entire team. Tony took off to California without a word, and Bucky went AWOL. Steve fretted while Natasha tracked Bucky down and brought him back to the fold; the two of them had a shadowed past together that not even Clint was entirely privy to. 

Of course Natasha noticed Clint’s new obsession, and once Bucky had settled back into the daily routine of the Compound, she promptly took the situation into her own hands. “Clint, why don’t you teach Bucky how to shoot a bow?” Natasha commented casually one morning when just the three of them were in the kitchen. “I bet he’d take to it like a duck to water.” Dirty looks did no good, Clint knew; Natasha was impervious to even his darkest glares. 

Instead, Clint risked a glance in Bucky’s direction. Since Natasha had brought him back in, Bucky had been a little more at ease in general, and he and Clint had held a few, brief conversations, mostly over team meals. Clint was still surprised when Bucky replied, “Sure, why not? Errol Flynn made it look easy, but I bet it ain’t.” 

“Archery is kinda like chess - simple enough to pick up in a few hours, but it can take years to master.” Then, before he could think better of it, Clint added. “I’m free after lunch if you want to meet me at the range?” 

Bucky smiled, and Clint’s heart skipped a beat. “Sounds like fun. See ya there.” 

Clint had gone through his entire collection of bows before deciding on three to take with him; he and Bucky were enough of a size that their draw length should be a good match. He’d debated on whether to include his 70 pound recurve, as it was designed for hunting versus target practice. But even if they started with something lighter, he figured a super-soldier could easily work up to that heavy of a draw, and he’d appreciate the damage it could do. 

Bucky was already waiting when Clint got to the range. “Sorry I’m a little late,” Clint said, quickly assembling the take-down bow he’d decided to start with. As he added a sight and stabilizer for his companion’s benefit, he glanced up to see Bucky avidly watching his progress. 

“Didn’t realize archery could get so complicated.” 

“It’s just like any other hobby - all sorts of gadgets out there. Some are worth it, but others are just a waste of cash.” 

Bucky nodded, then gave Clint an assessing look. “But it’s not just a hobby with you, is it?” 

How could Clint explain that archery had given him a purpose, that drawing a bow had been the way he’d pulled himself out of a cycle of poverty and abuse? It had been Clint’s skill with the bow and arrow — albeit in a flashy circus show — that had gotten the attention of Phil Coulson, saving him in turn from a life of petty crime. 

“No, it’s more than that.” Clint cleared his throat. “Now, let me show you how and where to stand.” 

Clint indulged himself just a bit, although he did ask if it was okay before reaching out to nudge Bucky’s shoulders and hips into position. Bucky was not only okay with the physical contact, but almost seemed to welcome it. 

“This doesn’t ... bother you?” Bucky asked, flexing his fingers as Clint placed his left hand over Bucky’s to adjust his grip. 

“No, why should it?” Clint feigned nonchalance; hoping Bucky’s super Soldier hearing couldn’t detect how his pulse had quickened. 

“It’s ... the things I’ve done — this arm is like a goddamned souvenir,” he spat out. 

“The things they made you do, you mean.” Clint replied, keeping his hand firmly in place. “I know a bit about brainwashing, believe me.” 

“S’what Natasha said, tho not much more.” And there was that assessing look again. “So, did you ‘n her ever step out together?” 

“Nah, I don’t lean that way,” Clint replied, then froze as he realized he’d just outed himself to a guy raised at the start of the previous century. 

To his astonishment, a lazy grin stole across Bucky’s face. “Well, if that ain’t the best news I heard all day.” He set the bow aside before taking Clint’s hand, twining their fingers together. “How about we go for a little walk and get to know each other a bit better?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Bucky get trapped together in an underground Hydra base. It looks bad, but they find a way to make it better.

Clint skidded to a stop as another blast door slammed shut right in front of them. “So — this looks bad.”

“Understatement of the century, pal, ” Bucky muttered under his breath. He glanced back at the other end of the hallway, where another blast door blocked their only other escape route. Steve hadn’t wanted him to go on this mission; but Bucky was the only one who knew the layout of the Hydra base well enough to hit them where it would hurt and then get out again. 

Bucky had an ulterior motive for going on the mission as well; for the past few weeks, he and Clint had been dancing around one another, trying to work out where their apparent mutual interest might be going next. They hadn’t gotten any further than a bit of mild flirting while out on the archery range; Wilson’s Redwing drone appearing out of nowhere just as Bucky had suggested going for a walk and getting to know one another a bit better. 

Bucky remembered what Clint’s hand had felt like, though; strong, calloused fingers laced between his own. It should have been ridiculous, two grown men acting like a couple of silly school kids, but it hadn’t mattered in the moment. It was nice, for once, to let himself be vulnerable, to take a chance with his heart. So he wasn’t about to let anything happen to Clint before they figured out what might be going on between them.

The plan was for the rest of the team to draw most of the troops out into the open while he and Clint snuck in the back door to wreak as much havoc as they could. Having accomplished their objective, they were on their way out when all hell broke loose. 

“At least the lights are still on,” Clint observed, eyeing a ventilation grill as if escaping through an eight-inch by six inch vent were a viable option. Not two minutes later, they were plunged into darkness. 

“You had to open your big mouth.” Bucky dug in his pockets for a match, only to see an eerie green glow come to life in Clint’s hand. “What the hell...?” 

“Glow stick - a mix of chemicals that’ll give us about ten hours of light. Longer, if we keep it warm.” He then waved it around, making a strange, repetitive 'Nnn-tsh' sound before catching Bucky’s eye. “Sorry - rave flashbacks.” 

“Okay.” While Bucky had no idea what Clint was referring to, he recognized that Clint was trying to lighten up the situation. But Bucky had been on edge since they’d entered the base, memories from his time as the Soldier crowding in on him. While he’d never been housed at this particular base — that he could recall — the overall atmosphere was all too familiar. He began pacing the room restlessly, tapping at his commset even though he knew perfectly well it wouldn’t pick up a signal when they were still so far underground. 

“Soon as they’re done up top, the rest of the team will make short work of those blast doors,” Clint said, lounging against the wall as Bucky stalked by him. “We’ll be back at the tower in plenty of time for Pizza Friday, I bet.” 

Bucky grunted an acknowledgement before striding up to the blast door to size it up. He pulled his left arm back for an experimental blow when Clint spoke up. “Did anyone tell you I threw a punch at Thor when he came back to Earth?” 

“Huh?” That brought Bucky up short, and he whirled around. “Why’d ya do a stupid thing like that?” 

“Everything I’d done when Loki had control of me just came flooding back, and since that asshole wasn’t there to beat on, Thor seemed like the next best thing, I guess.” He shrugged, and added, “He didn’t seem to take it personally, for what that’s worth.” 

“No offence, Clint, but he’d wipe the floor with ya.” 

“None taken. What I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s doing to you to be stuck here. You didn’t have to come, but I’m glad you did.” Despite the sickly green light from the glowstick, the sincere, open expression on Clint’s face made Bucky’s heart skip a beat. 

“Well, I couldn’ta let ya get away from me now, could I?” Bucky felt a little bit of that charm that used to be second nature for him well up from deep inside. “Not just as we’re gettin’ to know each other better.” He moved back over to stand close to Clint. “ Besides, you can’t even figure out how t’ dress for a mission like this, wearin’ a vest instead of a jacket.” Bucky let one finger trail down his companion’s impressively muscled arm, 

“I’m on a team with a couple of super-soldiers and a literal demigod. Gotta emphasize what few assets I have,” Clint protested with a grin and a flex before catching Bucky’s hand in his own.

“You don’t need to show off for me, doll.” Bucky used their linked hands to tug his partner into an embrace. “C’mere. Let me keep you warm while we wait.”


End file.
